Adaptation by macrophytes to inorganic carbon down a river with naturally variable concentrations of CO2

The productivity and ecological distribution of freshwater plants can be controlled by the availability of inorganic carbon in water despite the existence of different mechanisms to ameliorate this, such as the ability to use bicarbonate. Here we took advantage of a short, natural gradient of CO2 concentration, against a background of very high and relatively constant concentration of bicarbonate, in a spring-fed river, to study the effect of variable concentration of CO2 on the ability of freshwater plants to use bicarbonate. Plants close to the source, where the concentration of CO2 was up to 24-times air equilibrium, were dominated by Berula erecta. pH-drift results and discrimination against 13C were consistent with this and the other species being restricted to CO2 and unable to use the high concentration of bicarbonate. There was some indication from stable 13C data that B. erecta may have had access to atmospheric CO2 at low water levels. In contrast, species downstream, where concentrations of CO2 were only about 5-times air-equilibrium were almost exclusively able to use bicarbonate, based on pH-drift results. Discrimination against 13C was also consistent with bicarbonate being the main source of inorganic carbon for photosynthesis in these species. There was, therefore, a transect downstream from the source of increasing ability to use bicarbonate that closely matched the decreasing concentration of CO2. This was produced largely by altered species composition, but partly by phenotypic changes in individual species

Conventional and algorithmic music listening before radiotherapy treatment: A randomized controlled pilot study

Music listening is a widespread approach in the field of music therapy. In this study, the effects of music listening on anxiety and stress in patients undergoing radiotherapy are investigated. Sixty patients with breast cancer who were candidates for postoperative curative radiotherapy were recruited and randomly assigned to three groups: Melomics-Health (MH) group (music listening algorithmically created, n = 20); individualized music listening (IML) group (playlist of preferred music, n = 20); no music group (n = 20). Music listening was administered for 15 min immediately before simulation and during the first five radiotherapy sessions. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI) were administered before/after treatment. Cochran’s Q test and McNemar test for paired proportions were performed to evaluate if the proportion of subjects having an outcome score below the critical value by treatment and over time was different, and if there was a change in that proportion. The MH group improved in STAI and PDI. The IML group worsened in STAI at T1 and improved STAI-Trait at T2. The IML group worsened in PDI at T2. The No music group generally improved in STAI and PDI. Clinical and music listening-related implications are discussed defining possible research perspectives in this field

Small non-coding RNA profiling in plasma extracellular vesicles of bladder cancer patients by next-generation sequencing: Expression levels of miR-126-3p and piR-5936 increase with higher histologic grades

Bladder cancer (BC) is the tenth most frequent cancer worldwide. Due to the need for recurrent cystoscopies and the lack of non-invasive biomarkers, BC is associated with a high management burden. In this respect, small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) have been investigated in urine as possible biomarkers for BC, but in plasma their potential has not yet been defined. The expression levels of sncRNAs contained in plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) from 47 men with BC and 46 healthy controls were assessed by next-generation sequencing. The sncRNA profiles were compared with urinary profiles from the same subjects. miR-4508 resulted downregulated in plasma EVs of muscle-invasive BC patients, compared to controls (adj-p = 0.04). In World Health Organization (WHO) grade 3 (G3) BC, miR-126-3p was upregulated both in plasma EVs and urine, when compared to controls (for both, adj-p < 0.05). Interestingly, two sncRNAs were associated with the risk class: miR-4508 with a downward trend going from controls to high risk BC, and piR-hsa-5936 with an upward trend (adj-p = 0.04 and adj-p = 0.05, respectively). Additionally, BC cases with low expression of miR-185-5p and miR-106a-5p or high expression of miR-10b-5p showed shorter survival (adj-p = 0.0013, adj-p = 0.039 and adj-p = 0.047, respectively). SncRNAs from plasma EVs could be diagnostic biomarkers for BC, especially in advanced grade

Diatom teratologies as biomarkers of contamination: Are all deformities ecologically meaningful?

Contaminant-related stress on aquatic biota is difficult to assess when lethal impacts are not observed. Diatoms, by displaying deformities (teratologies) in their valves, have the potential to reflect sub-lethal responses to environmental stressors such as metals and organic compounds. For this reason, there is great interest in using diatom morphological aberrations in biomonitoring. However, the detection and mostly the quantification of teratologies is still a challenge; not all studies have succeeded in showing a relationship between the proportion of abnormal valves and contamination level along a gradient of exposure. This limitation in part reflects the loss of ecological information from diatom teratologies during analyses when all deformities are considered. The type of deformity, the severity of aberration, species proneness to deformity formation, and propagation of deformities throughout the population are key components and constraints in quantifying teratologies. Before a metric based on diatom deformities can be used as an indicator of contamination, it is important to better understand the “ecological signal” provided by this biomarker. Using the overall abundance of teratologies has proved to be an excellent tool for identifying contaminated and non-contaminated environments (presence/absence), but refining this biomonitoring approach may bring additional insights allowing for a better assessment of contamination level along a gradient. The dilemma: are all teratologies significant, equal and/or meaningful in assessing changing levels of contamination? This viewpoint article examines numerous interrogatives relative to the use of diatom teratologies in water quality monitoring, provides selected examples of differential responses to contamination, and proposes solutions that may refine our understanding and quantification of the stress. This paper highlights the logistical problems associated with accurately evaluating and interpreting teratologies and stimulates more discussion and research on the subject to enhance the sensitivity of this metric in bioassessments

En bloc resection of bladder tumour: the rebirth of past through reminiscence

Purpose: To learn about the history and development of en bloc resection of bladder tumour (ERBT), and to discuss its future directions in managing bladder cancer. / Methods: In this narrative review, we summarised the history and early development of ERBT, previous attempts in overcoming the tumour size limitation, consolidative effort in standardising the ERBT procedure, emerging evidence in ERBT, evolving concepts in treating large bladder tumours, and the future directions of ERBT. / Results: Since the first report on ERBT in 1980, there has been tremendous advancement in terms of its technique, energy modalities and tumour retrieval methods. In 2020, the international consensus statement on ERBT has been developed and it serves as a standard reference for urologists to practise ERBT. Recently, high-quality evidence on ERBT has been emerging. Of note, the EB-StaR study showed that ERBT led to a reduction in 1-year recurrence rate from 38.1 to 28.5%. An individual patient data meta-analysis is currently underway, and it will be instrumental in defining the true value of ERBT in treating non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. For large bladder tumours, modified approaches of ERBT should be accepted, as the quality of resection is more important than a mere removal of tumour in one piece. The global ERBT registry has been launched to study the value of ERBT in a real-world setting. / Conclusion: ERBT is a promising surgical technique in treating bladder cancer and it has gained increasing interest globally. It is about time for us to embrace this technique in our clinical practice

En bloc resection of bladder tumour : the rebirth of past through reminiscence

© 2023. The Author(s).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Association of metabolic equivalent of task (MET) score in length of stay in hospital following radical cystectomy with urinary diversion:a multi-institutional study

PURPOSE: The Metabolic equivalent of task (MET) score is used in patients’ preoperative functional capacity assessment. It is commonly thought that patients with a higher MET score will have better postoperative outcomes than patients with a lower MET score. However, such a link remains the subject of debate and is yet unvalidated in major urological surgery. This study aimed to explore the association of patients’ MET score with their postoperative outcomes following radical cystectomy. METHODS: We used records-linkage methodology with unique identifiers (Community Health Index/hospital number) and electronic databases to assess postoperative outcomes of patients who had underwent radical cystectomies between 2015 and 2020. The outcome measure was patients’ length of hospital stay. This was compared with multiple basic characteristics such as age, sex, MET score and comorbid conditions. A MET score of less than four (< 4) is taken as the threshold for a poor functional capacity. We conducted unadjusted and adjusted Cox regression analyses for time to discharge against MET score. RESULTS: A total of 126 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age on date of operation was 66.2 (SD 12.2) years and 49 (38.9%) were female. A lower MET score was associated with a statistically significant lower time-dependent risk of hospital discharge (i.e. longer hospital stay) when adjusted for covariates (HR 0.224; 95% CI 0.077–0.652; p = 0.006). Older age (adjusted HR 0.531; 95% CI 0.332–0.848; p = 0.008) and postoperative complications (adjusted HR 0.503; 95% CI 0.323–0.848; p = 0.002) were also found to be associated with longer hospital stay. Other comorbid conditions, BMI, disease staging and 30-day all-cause mortality were statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: A lower MET score in this cohort of patients was associated with a longer hospital stay length following radical cystectomy with urinary diversion. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11255-021-02813-x

Active surveillance in renal transplant patients with prostate cancer: a multicentre analysis

Introduction: Due to medical improvements leading to increased life expectancy after renal transplantation and widened eligibility criteria allowing older patients to be transplanted, incidence of (low-risk) prostate cancer (PCa) is increasing among renal transplant recipients (RTR). It remains to be established whether active surveillance (AS) for PCa represents a safe treatment option in this setting. Therefore, we aim to compare AS discontinuation and oncological outcomes of AS for PCa of RTR vs. non-transplant patients. Methods: Multicentre study including RTR diagnosed with PCa between 2008 and 2018 in whom AS was initiated. A subgroup of non-RTR from the St. Antonius hospital AS cohort was used as a control group. Comparison of RTR vs. non-RTR was performed by 2:1 propensity score matched survival analysis. Outcome measures included tumour progression-free survival, treatment-free survival, metastasis rates, biochemical recurrence rates and overall survival. Patients were matched based on age, year of diagnosis, PSA, biopsy ISUP grade group, relative number of positive biopsy cores and clinical stage. Results: A total of 628 patients under AS were evaluated, including 17 RTRs and 611 non-RTRs. A total of 13 RTR cases were matched with 24 non-RTR cases. Median overall follow-up for the RTR and non-RTR matched cases was, respectively, 5.1 (IQR 3.2–8.7) years and 5.7 (IQR 4.8–8.1) years. There were no events of metastasis and biochemical recurrence among matched cases. The matched-pair analysis results in a 1-year and 5-year survival of the RTR and non-RTR patients were, respectively, 100 vs. 92%, and 39 vs. 76% for tumour progression, 100 vs. 91% and 59 vs. 76% for treatment-free survival and, respectively, 100 vs. 100% and 88 vs. 100% for overall survival. No significant differences in tumour progression-free survival (p = 0.07) and treatment-free survival were observed (p = 0.3). However, there was a significant difference in overall survival comparing both groups (p = 0.046). Conclusions: AS may be carefully considered in RTR with low-risk PCa. In our preliminary analysis, no major differences were present in AS outcomes between RTR and non-RTR. Overall mortality was significantly higher in the RTR subgroup